Jumping mine



March 25, 1969 P, MADLENER ET AL 3,434,418

JUMPING MINE Filed June 13, 1967 United States Patent Int. c1. F42b23/06 US. Cl. 102-8 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A jumping mineis formed by an interior container filled with a hollow charge explosivebody and arranged to be ejected from a buried exterior ejector pot. Theupper end of the interior container is provided with a conical cap forpenetrating and removing a camouflage layer which covers the buriedmine. An annular magneto-igniter is fixed to the bottom of the interiorcontainer and is provided with a withdrawable core so as to produce apowerful ignition voltage when the interior container with the explosivebody therein is ejected by a propellant charge of pressure gases fromthe ejector pot. The movable core of the magnet is attached to a triggerwire assuring a detonation of the explosive body at a predetermineddistance above the surface of the ground.

The invention relates to a jumping mine provided with an exteriorejector pot from which an interior container is ejected by pressuregases, whereby the interior of the ejectable container is filled with anexplosive charge.

The conventional jumping mines whose explosive charge detonates afterthe interior container has been ejected from the ejector pot at apredetermined height above the surface of the ground are notparticularly suitable for fighting of tanks or armored vehicles becausethe explosive force of the explosive charge is not suflicient topenetrate the armored plate.

For this reason one employs hollow charge mines whose explosive chargehas a high penetrating power. This high penetrating power which destroysthe armored plate, however, is only obtained when sufficient explosivematerial is available, and therefore, one is compelled to producerelatively large hollow charge mines which are able to receive thisrather substantial amount of explosive material. This has the result, ofcourse, that the hollow charge mines will be relatively heavy and thisis a very noticeable disadvantage when these mines are placed in theground. It ha been proposed heretofore, in order to produce a camouflageplacement of the mines which assures an undisturbed production of thehollow charge jet, whose penetrating power is not reduced by thecamouflage layer, such as soil, stone and the like, to remove thecamouflage layer resting on the hollow charge mine prior to the ignitionof the hollow charge by a smaller explosive charge. Only after thissmaller explosion of the charge which exposes the mine, a seconddetonator effects the detonation of the hollow charge. Since now thearmored tank or the lower surface of the same is disposed about 40 cm.above the surface of the ground, a large amount of explosive isnecessary to penetrate this armor. In addition a further disadvantage ofthis known arrangement is that the mentioned additional smallerexplosive charge is required for removing the camouflage layer which hasbeen placed on top of the mine.

All of these disadvantages and imperfections are overcome by the presentinvention, Whose object is to create a mine which requires a smalleramount of explosive maice terial than heretofore and which in additionthereto has smaller dimensions. This has the result that the mine of theinvention compared with the conventional mines has a considerablysmaller weight, so that the placement of the smaller mines is simplerand does not require excessive bodily efforts.

In accordance with the invention, the ejector pot of the mine isprovided with an ejectable inner container which is formed as a hollowcharge explosive body and is provided with a magneto-igniter disposed ina hollow space formed by a bottom plate which is fixedly connected withthe magneto-igniter. The combination of a jumping mine and a hollowcharge mine to form a hollow charge jumping mine has the great advantagethat in spite of the smaller amount of explosive compared with the priorart the effect of the hollow charge against the armored tank is moreintense than heretofore, whereby a small aperture produced in the bottomwall of the tank by the hollow charge has the result that a verysubstantial portion of the explosive charge is injected into theinterior of the tank or the armored vehicle.

According to another object of the invention, the interior container isprovided with a recess in its upper end and at the other end with aconical surface, whereby said recess is covered by a conically shapedprotective cap. This conical shape of the protective cap which isarranged on the upper end of the mine which faces the ground surface hasthe result that during the jumping of the interior container from theejector pot the camouflage layer drops downwardly along the inclinedsurfaces. In this manner a removal of the camouflage layer by detonationas heretofore practiced is no longer necessary, and therefore, theheretofore employed additional explosive charge used for this purposecan be dispensed with.

The invention is also characterized by a magnetoigniter which isconstructed as an annular magnet provided with a withdrawable magneticcore which in turn is attached to a spirally wound trigger wire. Themagnetoigniter is arranged within a cap attached to a plate attached tothe bottom of the interior container, and this cap is engaged by abottom dish which receives the trigger wire spirally wound in itsinoperative position. The bottom dish is fixedly attached to the bottomof the ejector pot. The fact that the magneto-igniter is constructed asan annular magnet permits the construction of the igniter in a fiatshape, and this again has the advantage that the entire mine can beconstructed with a minimum of height. After the ignition of a propellingcharge, the developed powder gases eject the interior containerconstructed as a hollow charge explosive body from the ejector pot,whereby at the same time, for the purpose of producing the ignitionvoltage, the core of the magnet is pulled from the magneto-igniter bythe trigger wire when it straightens out. In order to prevent that inview of the produced pressure the bottom dish in which the trigger wireis arranged is not also ejected, this bottom disc is attached to thebottom of the ejector pot with a special adhesive. In this manner it isassured that no troubles can develop, so that the trigger wire connectedwith the bottom cap will always pull the core from the magneto-igniter.As a result of the jump of the interior container from the ejector pot,the distance between the tank or the bottom of the armored vehicle andthe hollow charge can be made small. Experiments will determine the mostfavorable distance for obtaining an optimum effect from the hollowcharge of the explosive body, so that then the trigger wire has beenmade of a predetermined length, the hollow charge will always explode atthe same distance from the armored tank.

For detonation of the hollow charge is employed an electrical ignitabledetonator cap which is threadedly attached to the center of the lowerend of the conically shaped face of the interior container in anextension of the core of the magnet of the magneto-igniter.

The drawing illustrates in:

FIG. 1 a vertical sectional view one embodiment of a jumping mine madein accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the ignition circuit.

Referring to the drawing, an ejector pot 1 circular in cross-section isprovided with an ejectable interior container 2, the major portion ofthe side wall of which engages the inner surface of the circumferentialwall of the ejector pot 1. The interior container 2 is constructed as ahollow charge explosive body C, and an upper conical recess 3 in thesame is covered by a reversely conically shaped protective cap 4. Aconical lining covers the hollow charge and by means of a marginalfolding or beading operation the margins of the cap 4 and lining 5 areunited with the upper circumferential margin of the inner container 2.The lower conical bottom wall 7 of the inner container 2 has attachedthereto by a threaded connection an electrically ignitable primer cap 8which is used for igniting the hollow charge C. The conical bot tom wall7 has attached to its outer surface by means of spot welds 7a acup-shaped plate member 9 to the lower plane face of which is secured ahorizontal bottom plate 10 by means of bolts 10a. The outer edge of theplate 10 is provided with a downwardly extending annular flange 11 whichforms in the lowermost portion of the pot 1 a hollow chamber 12 in whichis disposed a magneto-igniter. Below the latter is arranged a spirallywound trigger wire 13. The bolts 10a at the same time attach a cap 14 tothe plate 10. This cap 14 contains the magneto-igniter which lattercomprises a permanent annular magnet 15 and a pole-plate 16. In thecenter of this magneto-igniter 15, 16 is arranged an axially movablecore 17 around which is placed an ignition coil 18, the ends of whichare connected by suitable conductors 17a, 1711 with an incandescentexploder 29 in the primer cap 8. The lower end of the core 17 has acentrally disposed projection 19 with a transverse hole 19a therethroughin which one end of the trigger wire 13 is secured. A bottom dish 21with an upwardly extending marginal flange 20 and in which the triggerwire 13 is placed is pressed against the bottom face of the cap 14 andas a result of the beading of the upper marginal edge of the interiorcontainer is also pressed against the bottom 22 of the ejector pot 1. Asa result of this construction, the bottom dish 21 will engage the bottomof the ejector pot. In addition, the bottom dish 21 is fastened to thebottom 22 of the ejector pot 1 by means of a special adhesive in orderthat the core 17 of the magnet is pulled by the trigger wire 13 from theclosed magneto-igniter during the firing of the hollow charge explosivebody. The other end of the trigger wire 13 is fixedly secured to theinner bottom wall of the dish 21.

An interiorly threaded nipple 23 is welded at 23' to the lower end ofthe upright wall of the ejector pot 1. The bore of this nipple 23permits the insertion of the propellant charge 24 which comes to liebetween the bottom of the hollow charge explosive body and the bottom 22of the ejector pot 1. The threaded nipple 23 is closed in a waterproofmanner by a threaded plug 26 which is removed for the reception of a notillustrated igniter.

The operation of the jumping mine is as follows:

The hollow charge jumping mine is buried a predetermined depth into theground and is camouflaged. Previously, however, the closure plug 26 inthe nipple is removed and the igniter is inserted which responds topredetermined loads or contact elements on its transverse surface. Uponignition of the propellant charge 24, the powder gases exert upon thebottom plate 10 of the inner container 2 such a pressure that thecontainer 2 is separated at the beaded fold 27 from the ejector pot 1and is propelled upwardly and jumps from the ground, whereby at the sametime the magneto-igniter is actuated by the straightened trigger wire 13and operates the core 17 of the magnet. When the core is pulled from themagneto-igniter, the closed magnetic field collapses, so that themagnetic flux lines intersect perpendicularly the windings of theignition coil 18 and produce an ignition voltage. As a result, theelectrically ignitable blasting cap 8 receives a powerful ignitionimpulse which causes an ignition of the interior container 2 formed ashollow charge explosive body at a predetermined distance above thesurface of the ground below the underside of the tank or below thearmored vehicle.

What we claim is:

1. A jumping mine comprising an exterior ejector pot, an ejectableinterior container in said pot, an explosive charge formed as a hollowcharge explosive body in said ejectable container, means forming achamber in the lower portion of said ejector pot, and a magneto-igniterdisposed in said chamber and attached fixedly to the lower portion ofsaid ejectable container and adapted to ignite the explosive bodytherein, said megneto-igniter including an annular magnet fixedlyconnected with said ejectable interior container, and a withdrawablecore in the center thereof, a flexible trigger wire attached with one ofits ends to said core of said magneto-igniter and with its other end tosaid exterior ejector pot and means in the chamber for ejecting saidejectable interior container to thereby actuate the magneto-igniter..

2. A jumping mine according to claim 1, including a horizontal bottomplate attached to the lower end of said ejectable interior container, acap attached to the lower face of said bottom plate, said cap containingsaid annular magnet of said magneto-igniter and an ignition coil withinsaid annular magnet, said ignition coil surrounding said withdrawalcore, and a flanged bottom dish fixedly attached to the bottom of saidejector pot and forming a space below said cap for receiving saidtrigger wire whose one end is attached to the lower end of said corewhile the other end of said wire is attached to said flanged bottomdish.

3. A jumping mine according to claim 2, in which said annular magnet isprovided with a pole plate which is urged in engagement with the lowerface of said annular magnet by said cap which also urges the upper faceof said annular magnet against the lower face of said horizontal bottomplate of said ejectable interior container.

4. A jumping mine according to claim 2, in which said horizontal bottomplate of said ejectable interior container is provided with a downwardlyextending annular flange which engages the inner wall of said exteriorejector pot, while the lower edge of said annular flange engages thebottom wall of said ejector pot thereby forming a closed chamber in thelower part of said pot, and said ejection means being a propellantcharge extending from the exterior of said pot into said closed chamber,which chamber also contains said magneto-igniter extending downwardlyfrom said horizontal bottom plate.

5. A jumping mine according to claim 1, in which said trigger wire has apredetermined length and causes a withdrawal of said core from saidannular magnet and an ignition of said explosive body in said ejectablecontainer after the latter has been ejected a predetermined distancefrom said exterior ejector pot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,830,538 4/1958 Dodge 10283,035,520 5/1962 Koeppen 10270.2 3,229,582 1/1966 Schlie 10270.2

SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner.

US. C .Xls-

tog-19.2, 70.2,

